Knitting machine



Sept. 14, 1943. W. A. INGALLS KNITTING MACHINE Filed April 4, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 14, 1943. w. A. INGALLS KNITTIM MACHINE s She ets-Sheet 2 Filed April 4, 1941 Sept. 14, 1943., w. A. INGALLS KNITTING MACHINE z Sheets-She et 3 Filed April 4, 1941 WEB H01. [RJ' 14/50 H 0L DEA;

lfllim HOL DER.

HOL 05R:

, the.-web:holders .wereset for a longtloopl Patented Sept. 14, 1943 .umr sn G iiN-E t Willi s A; IngallsfS-yra Tompkins 1 Bros 160., 1 ration of Newa-Xork Application rii 1941 .Serial Norseman 6 Claims- (01. ea oe) relation thereto, with the-webholdersrmovable -bodly towards and-away from thecylinder inaa radial direction. Considerable difiiculty rhas been experiencedwithsuch a construction because of thetendency of dirt andlint to-collect inthe space between the needle, cylinder and the web holder ring, interfering with the operation ofthe-needlesand web ho1ders,and requiring frequent dismounting of the parts to; permit their being-cleaned. I t In addition, it has been foundathat tension en the knitted loopsand the=fabriccannot be main tained uniform to keep the loops .or stickies-even, as is desiredin any good quality'fabric. holders were incapable of compensating forivariationsin the length of the stitch loops, so :that if and the needles should happen to .draw short loops, the web holders would-cut or break the threadiiind, it has been myzaimto providea materially improved knitting machine-which isesimple in construction \Ofi its component parts, easy itogas semble and -=disassemble, and simple ;-to; adjust;

1 Withthe foregoing-experiences and; defec-tsiyin The machine which 1 constitutes,- the inventiomof 7 this application is especially :smooth in :its1QD- eration and in many respects is far-superior ?to any other machine .of itsgeneral type-o1? whieh l am aware. s t 1 V ,1 Another:principaliobiectof this invention is toprovide an improved needle and web holders assembly .wherein- .both the needles 5 and aweb holders are mountedon a common cylinder, which is preferably. constructedzoi'two parts'for convenience otmanufacture iand assembly.

Anotheriobject of a the invention is toprovide a simple form of yieldableholding means com:- mon to the needles and web holders for prevent: ing their inadvertent. displacement I from. the cylinder, while'also permitting ,quick and. easy removal or replacement. ofv either the ,needlesor .atingi cams -wich rock ee -in rwith :IlOVQ-I adjusting instmmentalities --ior quickly and -easi yadlusting isaidcams The 'invention.;a1so v-m ntem platesv an? improved and-novel. tor-m- \oicpivotal .onrocking. web holder, andpatsimple. and-effective nounting andt actuating means:thereterg l whereby the wen-holder. will ,-automatically fad-in t itself i to-,1 fit tnetstireh loop drawn by an..'.-assoeiated;needlefind lliJ sired tensien-z required toriunrferxnityi-oilkni in act-ion;

- I ther and runner; objects b1"; sthelinvention I willflbe hereinafter described and thekno'vel teatures,1;hereoft defined -innthelalapended. cams; -'Iii/the.drawingis: 1 Rign'ref l is a fragmentary vertical sectional view rtaken eeritrallyithnougha knitting! machine constructed i in accordance .-w-ith-,the\ present invention; '1 1 r I Figure '2, is l-an enlarged iragrrnentary vertical seetional -view, taken" a at a position about the needle llglelhW-hiqhthe web holdersare-rocked inwardly, onetof. thee-web holders;and-one ofmthe djacent: needles and; certainor l thecam regulating instmmentalities, being .shown eleration; T V, v Figure .3,,-i,s-.a sectional View generally similar .to Figure 2, taken i at anothenposition about the needle circle} andshowingthewebholden rocked q a dlv; Figure- 4; is ,amenlarged fragmentary'vertical sec 'onal vi w, taken 7011 the 1 .line HAHPAY of {Fig-1 are 1,: looking ;in the-direction Yet the arrows; .Figures 5 and S i-are horizontal-sectional views taken respectively .on the lines..5-5 ,andWBR-HQ :of Figure l, withgthe needles-and cylinder -,omitted, and particularly; showing the" web- ;.holder-ioperthe; web holders 3 inwardly and outwardly; respectively;

web holders, without disturbing the other,1.vand 7 without droppingstitches onthose needles which are not to .be removed voiflreplaced.

li=stilifurther important object of the invention is totp-rovidea rotatable,cam'ringdor'carrymg a -plurality;of-:camsthe needles and web holders respectively, to-

which: serve 1130:: actuate ,yFigu-re misza' view in Werticalsectienthrough the v needle cylinder; "with 'the needles. omitted,

and. showing orient the. web holders in elevation, and also.- showing in elevation one .of tthe;9ylinderl limertnplates which, serves to: guide {an associated needle in Jzhe eeward and t-zdownward movement oizthetlatter; I Figre: .8 Asia fragmentary-horizontal sectional view; taken Ion thelina8--$ =of. EigureA andparticularlyg-showing Hthe .vadiustable mounting Ior oneaofrtheneedle-drawecams; 7. it v Figure 9 is a aement ry somewhatrdiasrammaticv-iewvinr elevation, rwithgthe ham tiringremoved,.hutshowing relative ,cooperative positions, the gneedle and web hblders ,being ,iglalrei. view, taken on the line I certain- 1 the needle drawholders assembled to permit a drive gear (not shown) to mesh with the teeth I8 on the ring gear I5 and impart rotation to the ring gear and cam ring II).

For convenience of manufacture and assembly, the cam ring I is preferably composed of several segments, each of which is independently .izsecured to the ring gear I by a pair of the bolts position, and certain other. .web holders in their f outwardly rocked positions;

Figure 16 is an enlarged view, in side elevation of one of the needles, the needle hook and latch being shown on a somewhat exaggerated scale;

Figure 17 is a view in side elevation of a modi fied form of web holder and an associated needle, as used for knittingloop-surfaced fabrics; and

v Figure 18 is a fragmentary view in end elevation of a web holder corresponding to the cong struction in Figure 17, and showing diagrammatically the relative positions of the double thread feed employed with this type of web holder to produce loop-surfaced fabrics.

'Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings, wherein I denotes the bed plate of the machine, which is supported by a-suitable type of housing 2above a base plate 3 having legs 4 for elevating the working parts of the machine at any desired height above the floor. Fixed to the bed plate I,

as by screwst, is anaxially upright needle cylinder generally' designated 6, this needlecylinder being stationary and rigidly supported by the bed plate I. Mounted on the needle cylinder is a circle of needles which are arranged in circurnferentially spaced relation to each other about the cylinder, with the longitudinal axes of the needles disposed vertically,'the needles being generally designated I. 'Also mounted-onthe needle cylinder 6 and 'disposed'intermediate the needles is a plurality of web holders, generallydesignated 8, there being oneweb holder between each adjacent pair -of needles. The size of the needle cylindenand the number of needles and web holders, may be varied according to-thesize of the fabric to be knitted, which fabric is knitted in tubular form and extends downwardly through the needle cylinder,-as generally indicated at 9, to a suitable take-up mechanism (not shown), for

taking up thejfabrio as it is progressively knitted during the operation of the machine.

Encircling the needle cylinder in radially spaced relationthereto is a cam "ring, generally designated I0, said cam ring carrying a plurality of cams, generally designated 1 I,--I2, I3 and I 4; The i cams II and I2 cooperate with the web holders 8 to impart radial inward and outward rocking 'or pivotalm'ovement to-the web holders, as will hereinafter more fully appear. Cam I3 will be hereinafter referred to as the needle draw-cam, and cam I 4 will be hereinafter referred to as the needle raise-cam, these cams serving to impart downward-and upward movement, respectively, to the needles I in timed relation to the rocking or pivotal movements imparted to the web holders by the web holder-cams I I and I2.

The cam ring I!) is fixed'to the upper side of a ring gear I5, preferably by means of screws I6 extending downwardly through the cam ring and into the ring gear. As clearly shown in Figures l-to 3, inclusive, the bed plate I is provided with an annular recess H in which the teeth I8 of the ring gear I5 are disposed, and the bottom'ofthe bed plate is suitably-slotted at any desired point I6 located respectively near the opposite ends of thesegment. By reason of this construction, conyenient access maybe had to any part of the needlecircle and corresponding section of web holders on the cylinder 6 by removing only a single segment of the cam ring It, thus eliminating the necessity of dismounting the entire cam ring.

Likewise, for convenience of manufacture and assembly; the needle cylinders is preferably composedof two parts comprising an upper cylindrical'section 6? and a lower cylindrical section 6". The upper section 6' is preferably provided at its lower end with an annular flange I9 which is adapted to overlap upon "a corresponding annular flangefllon the upper 'end of the lower section 6"; and the two sections are rigidly joined together at the overlapping'joint by screws2l extending through the flanges above referred to.

The upper section s orms needle cylinder 6 is slotted at its outer face, as indicated at 22, the slots being axially extended from the upper end of the cylinder to the lower end of the upper section, and being circumferentially spaced equidistantly from each other, as clearly indicated in the drawings An annular groove 23 extends about the cylinder section 6', intersecting the slots 22near the lower ends thereof. Additional slots 24 are formed radiallyin the upper edge of the cylinder section ii, registering with the respective slots 22 on the face of the cylinder. A web holder 8 is disposed in each of the slots just referred to, the body of each web holder lying in one of the slots 22 with the arm-8 at the upper end of each web holder lying in one of theradial slots 24. As best shown in Figures 1 to 3- and 7, the body. of each web holder is provided near its lower end with an inwardly projecting lug or boss 25, lying in the plane of the body of the web holder -so that when the web holder is disposed in a groove 22, t he lug o'r boss 25 will be disposed in the annular groove 23 and serve as a fulcrum or pivot for the web holder, about which the web holder is free to rock towards and away from the central axis of-the needle cylinder.

Formed in theouter face of the lower section 6 "of the needle cylinder 6 is a second set of slots 25, which are axially extended from top to bottom thereof. The pitch of the slots 26 is preferably :equal to the pitch of the slots 22, but the slots 26, arepreferably slightly greater in width than the slots 22. Disposed in each of the slots 26 is an insert which serves to guide the needles lin their upward and downward movement, it being understood thatone needle is v disposed between-each adjacent pair of inserts 21, as will be bestseen from Figure 7. The upper end of eachinsert is engaged in a notch 28 formed in the uppersection 6 of the needle cylinder 6,.and'the lower end of each insrtflisr'adially' extended inwardly at 29 and formedwith a notch 30 to receive a correspondingly shaped protuberant annularfrim 3| formed on the'bottom of the lower cylinder section 6". A retaining ring 32 is clamped against the lower end of the needle cylinder by means of the bolts 5 hereinbefore referred "to, the retainer ring havinga laterally outwardly projecting flange 33 z t-weir:

lying'zbe'neaths the inserted] lfii lpositively main taintcthe :inSerltsr i ".e'filinli "interlocked: assembly; witlmheineedlenylinder:

o In order." to impart: upward:-

I and: downwerdrl v movement to thezneedlesafhxtwo sets; biz-needle;

cams are 'preferablyifemployed, .one ssetifor raise: ingutha needles; andawne: .set' 1" for lowering the:- n'eedlesxl The raise: cams :.:have been designated I 4;; the: number. ofp theseccamsi corresporrdingstto thefnumbernf thread feeds, and :theacamsrbeing: E

fixedly attached .totzthe-.,insidet of.:the:-t ringugear: and 'tacam 1 ring ,1 fiziintany suitable manner; as byv means of "the ;screws 34:1 m.correspondingsdraw==. cam 13;" is disposedwat-ethewinside':of: theiring:

gear and. --canr ring 10;:as3bes't =showmin1Fieu es; 155

4 -and- 9,--the numberr of 'drawecamsflikeWise::corw respondingv to the numberxofi-threadlfeedsi. draw-cams l3 are preferably "adjustablyrmounte 1 Y ed; so :as :to' permitwadjustrnent inwan upwardiandai downward direction "for the ipurposeeof enablinge 95;

stitch loops of different lengthsztosbe-c drawn".

. by-theneedles during the knittinggoperations To;

tened at one side' for firmabutting; .engagementiz with the outer face of the cam member, :as' best seen .irrFigures 4 zandr8. The-stem-3$-f0r each: cam member is disposed in a guideway or bores; 3l=og coz'respendingrshape, in which therstemiis rectioni The loweri end of: the sterniswroVide-dzi with a cup-sh aped recess 38;: in h which a. coil;- spring -39 is seated. A, retainer plate-Ml iszmount ed below each bore or; gnideway gfor wthe cstemsti 35, and-serves as a seat for that-lower endsof :the-'- 352:

' ing screw 4 l -downwardly, the guidezstemzs 3tands its --correspon din g c draw-cam; 13 will: be aurgeda downwardly against the yielding pressmewfithezi spring 39; By; screwing the adjusting: screwi up- 4 wardly, the pressure of. the springs 3.9:?will gcausez; the --g-uide stem and its .correspondingxdra cam l :Which-wisx. attachedactheretog to\-move-: up ward-1y. Thus, the drawecami w-illeremaini'invany:=

adjusted position in.;which:it risczset'zb y the- 11p:-

ward =01; downward? screwing: motion-30f: the" adjusting-.-screw.- 1 i;

To illustrateithe knittingaction-=df the need'l'es 1; it will be assumedthatithercanr ring- 1 o -and the needle roams; 13:,an'd: H are-moving in counter-clockwise 4 5' direction about the centralaxisofethe Vnee'dlecylinder; a'sviewe'd from above-1 the-needle cylinder: Thisdirection ofrotation of theycam ring is indicated by the feathered-1 arrow at. 5 the :bottom' of Figure t 9i" According-1y, thevin'clined facel4'of the raisecambecomes the'rcam' face which: engages the outwardly-o'ff set-"butts 12' of th'e'ineedles: and causes-the needles? to: be successively -raised: 'upwarldly I as '.-th'e cam-:

larly, jthe inclined .face It of: the: draw-cam l 3 constitutes the; cam face-which-engages thezbutts: "f of? theneedles; to Causethe'neeGles-tol bersu'c cessiyel-y' drawn-downwardly; asthecamz'acl-c vances around the-needle 1 circle; "It 1 will be cha; served from Figurea :that theicam..iace l-3' of the? draw-cam;- I3 is *sorarrange-dFthat it is ;sufificiently':spaced above: the raise-cam l 4-, and-to one side: of: the cami ace 1 4 0f f the v latter,*:-that the butts'yl of the needlesqdonot eriga caml'zface 'ofisthl draw icam until the'ineedles havei passed atheexpeaki of wine raise-cam; and have assumedrfihernighestzpointofiitheiniupwardmova mentnhrthe space:ibetween the :raisee'cam and-.1

1 the .-t:draw canr;affordingirsuflihienti.clearance: o:-

permit" the lneedle b-u-ttso'li" to; pass hetweerrithe' came: during ith'eadownwardz imovement impart-'- ed r; theretori by the: draw-Tca-nr. and the: ."upwardfs movement imparted: thereto: as; SilCCEEdlD-gii raise -named y x It: Willwbee further: observed; that the: peakxoi: the eraise-Lcam: iss'disposedzrinsubstantial: vertic alignment "with-2 therthread feed, indicated-gene" erally; "by? the thread: guides: 42., thewnmnber: of thread: guides correspondinggtothe? number: off thread- :feeds 'gwhichqiare preferably; multipliedetoi circle at r as many equallygfspaceda points: about theineedle- ;,c i1'cle,e asemay be r conveniently 12330111211 modated;1byva=machine-90f lanyeselectedzzsize; thus; increasing the? rapidity: of!" the knitting: actiona: Forqthe sak of simplic-ity ofz iliustratiomw onlyy onethread ,rhas; ibeem shown in thendraw ings but iit will; be z understoomr as; indicated: aboyeg that thegfeeds u na-y,- be rd ublieated'vatiasz; many points about? the needle circle asx-ina-y be: desired Asmanexample; for aamachinewccne structedl according 1 to the": present invention: rand: haying, a ,:ne edle 7 cylinder; diameter of epprc-ximately. e1evenor] twelve; inches- ;as rnany:

videdlabout the needle circle, and a correspond? in nilinberfof raiseecams tan-d. draw-cams; have m fie; 4 t mat y i nFieurq l- 1 r Y "The thread-l guides. are suitably mounted: for."- rot'atio'n about the.. axis of -the,needleecylinder. in thefsame direction andatadspeed. icer-respondee ing to the speed of .i'Qt3lf/iQn1 Oir the camring-g! 01:

Each ..th rea d,-,, g.enerally designated J11, isr-fed "from? 7 its source of...s hi ly (notflsholwn) to ther-needles; successively as t'i e ,needlesi-reach the euppeivlimit of itheilirnovement n.timed;relatici-1 teathemoyee m entacilthevthre guides-J2 aboutfthe need-lee circlelthe ,thread;..be1ng ivsuitably guided through: eyes. v l3 in. the guide and Fleeing: laid under thee hooksi'flf atth'esupper extremities of the needles; s. The "needle latches 'J be open whenz the." thread. is presented.tol-thevneedlea at thempperr' limit of thein moyement, as Wl-llfbfi 'obvieus vtow those familiar. witlnthe-art o-iknitting: machinesx. As, the "needles," successively; "move downwardly under the-influencey-of the draw-cams l3, thee threadiist pulleddownwardlwbytthe needle :hodksra m drawing ,the thread;acrosswthe'arms 8-: at r upper: e *Q the webeholdersz S l asseci-atedslwitln each needle.-;- As the downward"; mey'eznent 'o f each needle continues; below theiupper end 'of =its associated weloj holder; a:- nevrst-itch loop is drawn through the stitch previoush 'linitted lying ge the-v75 r provide a recess 455.

ultimately cast 'ofi the needle, asperm'ittedby" face, advances. around thenee'dlescire1 ;-;s the closing of thefneedleiatch 1'- duringthe downward movement'i'of theneedle. Since thisknittingi action*is-c'onventienal, further descripdescribed in its relationshipdothe knittinglactionr Disposed oriuthe upper end'fo f-"each web: holder isa proiection oi nose? l'fli disp'o'sedin the' plan-c of the arm-'8 "and sp'aced somewhat above the latter: so as -to -overliei the'cbase of tliearm andvl Tlie pr-imarypurpose of this' relative positions i indicated diagrarrr-v construction is to cause .the web holder to normally engage the edge of the knittedfabric in the' recess 45 as itis knitted, and to hold the fabricv down snugly on the upperend of the. needle.

cylinder, particularly duringrthe upward'or raising movement of the needles. According to the preferred construction and operation of the pres-. ent invention, the web holder's occupy the position shown in Figure2 and inwfull lines in Figure 7,"

This. outward rocking movement of the web holder is produced by engagement of the cam I2 with the butt of the web holder which lies belowthe boss 25 on which the web holder is fulcr'umed.

The web holder remains in its outwardly rocked position referred to until the needle reaches approximately the lower limit of its downward movement, whereupon the web hold er is rocked inwardly again by the cam I I' to restorethe same to its fabric hold-down position during the succeeding cycle commencing with the raising of the needle. The extent of pivotal or rocking movement of the web holders successively about the needle circle is best-illustrated'in Figures 5, 6 and 15, being principally great enough to periodically disengage the nose 44 of the ,web holders from th'eknitted fabric and reengage the same in proper timed relation to the movement of the needles, thecritical point of disengagement of the nose 44 occurring as the book of the needle approaches the upper end of the webholder during the downward movement of the needle, and the critical point of reengagement occurring at the commencement of the raising movement of the needles to prevent the new loops from riding up with the needles and interfering with the formation of a succeeding stitch loop. It will be observed that when the web holders are rocked outwardly to the position disengaging the nose of the web holder 44 from the fabric, as best illus-.'

trated in Figure 3 ofthe drawings, the arm 8' of the web holder is not completely withdrawn from the radial slot 24, but is long enough to insure the drawing of 'thenew stitch'loop across the arm of the web holder as the needle moves downwardly below the upper edge of the web holder, thereby always insuring a uniform tension on the thread at the loop, and consequently insurin an optimum evenness of the stitch loops and uniformity of knitting action. Due to the curved configuration of the upperedge of the arm 8 on each web holder, as shown in the drawings, the web holders will automatically assume a position imparting a uniform tension to the stitch loops as they are drawn by the needles,

regardless of the length of the stitch loop drawn,

- the web holders automatically rocking inwardly or outwardly to a greater or less extent over and above the rocking movement directly imparted to the web holders by the cams II and I2 to componsate for tendency of reduction or inof tension. This automatic compensation of tension is permitted by the yieldable mounting of the web holder-cams II and I2, which will now be particularly described.

It will be understood that the number of web holder-cams I I and I2 corresponds to the number, of thread feeds, and there is one of. each of these webholder-cams II and I2 for each needle raisecam and draw-cam, accordingto the relationengagement with the bore 51'.

ship illustrated in Figure 9. In the case of multi-' ple feed machines, each of the web holder-cams I I which serves to rock the web holders inwardly is mounted on the upper end of the cam ring I0, being preferably recessed flush with the upper face of the latter. Each camI I is fixed to the cam ring. by a screw 48 passing vertically downwardly through the; cam and having threaded engagement with the cam ring Ill. The cam is free to pivot on the screw 46 but is normally yieldably pressed inwardly towards the web holders by means of a spring 41 encircling the screw and interposed between the head of the screw and the upper side of the web holder. of the spring 41 is fixed to. the screw, as by engaging the upper end of the spring in an opening 48 in a nut 49 disposed on the screw 46 next to the screw head, and the lower end of the spring is offset and hooked over the outeredge of the cam, as indicated at 50 in Figure 5. To vary the yieldable pressure ofthe'spring 4? tending to urge the cam II in an inward direction towards the web holders, it is simply necessary to loosen thescrew46 and then turn the nut 49 in one direction or the other to either loosen or tighten the coils of the spring, and then retighten the screw 461:0 lock the nut 49 in its adjusted position. I

' The shape of the cams II is best illustrated in Figure 5, wherein it will be seen that" each cam is provided with an inclined cam face 5| which serves to bear against the outer edges of the web holders 8 at apoint above the fulcrum point of the web holders provided by the bosses 25 seated win the annular groo've23 in the needle cylinder 6. It will also be seen from Figure 5 that each cam I I is provided with an enlarged aperture 52, through which the adjusting screw M for the adjustable needle draw-cams passes. The aperture 52 is sufiiciently large to afford clearance for the head of the adjusting screw 4| to allow the adjusting screw to be screweddown below the cam and permit its adjustment without disturbing the cam.

'Ihe web holder-cams I2 are pivotally mounted inan annular groove 53 formed in the inner face of the cam ring I0, each web holder being secured in the groove 53 by a screw 54 passing downwardly from the upper' side of the cam ring I0 through the cam I2 near one end of the latter.- The upper end of the screw 54 is preferably recessed in the cam ring below the plane of the cams II so that it will not interfere with the movement of the latter, and the'lower extremity of the screw 54 is preferably reduced in size and has the form of a smooth pin, as at 55, on which'the cam I2 is free to pivotv towards and away from the web holders. Eachjcam I2 is normally yieldably pressed inwardly towards the web holders by means ofa spring 55 disposed in a radial bore 51 in the cam ring I0, one end of the spring bearing against the edge of the cam at its free end, and the opposite end of the spring being engaged by an adjusting screw 58 having threaded Pressure of the spring 56 may be varied by screwing the adjustingscrew 58 in one direction orthe other, as will be obvious. Each cam I2 is notched at59 to afford clearance for the needledr'aw-cam adjusting screw 4I hereinbefore referred to, and the cam is provided with an inclined cam edge 60 which is adapted to successively engage the butts of the web holders below their fulcrum point.

It is important that the pivotal axis of each cam I2, as afforded bythe pin 55 on the end of One end a en-7 the sorew 54-,-and--the -pivota1 axis s eath-{cam V Ill immed bye-the-screw lli, be properly located qmith res'pect to each other and with respect to r the needle cams'so *asto position the working --'edges 6ll and 5 I ofthe respective cams at the proper positiem to siii t ably time the. rocking or pivotaltmovementsef the successive web holders in tli" appropriate relation to the needle movement;=as'=hereinbefore referred to. This relationlship is be'st'=understood by ccmparing Fig-ures lj Q Due totheyieldable spring-pressure onthe-web holders-cams 1 I and 12'; thesecams will auto hmatically adjust 1 themselves to allow the web -holders' to :regulate themselves according to the 3 leng th' of thesti-tch "drawn by ;-ea'cl i needle as hereinbefore referred -to-.' In addition; the autow matic adjustment of the web holders and" their cams prevents jamming or smashing of the machine 'in'the case of a "defective yarn having" lum-ps or knots therein, since the-springsacting on the: web; holders-cams will yield-and allow the lumps'or knots i-n the yarn to freely/pass over the wwebl-holder's. lt will be under all 'ofltheweb holder-'camsand all-of the needle came -are carried by the common cam ringand ring gear soas to be rotatable with-the latter about the needle cylinder; and free access may-be readily had to the web holders and needles' by dismounting one or more segments of the cam "ring. Io-preventthe Web holders and needles from-becoming inadvertently displaced from" the '1 needle cylinder especially whenthe' cam: ring or any part thereof is dismounted,:thereiis prefer- .iablyjprovided' a coil-spring ringallilawhich encircles theneedle cylinder -exterio'rl y of the zneedleshand =webholders and yieldably engages the. latter at a; point-about opposite -'-to the' fulcrum: points of theweb holders, as willinbefibest understood from reference to Ei'gures '1 to13,'-"7 -.-.and :10. iDue to the yieldable'retaini'ng action of izthisringl 6 I, any individual web holderor needle, :01: group thereQL maybe removed from: the needle J cylinder without Jdisturbingithe others; and th'e Iretalnin'g ring further insures against inadvertent .droppin'g of stitches onlthe other. needles 'when 'it becomes .necessary or desirablezto remove 1 orexchan'geii'certainweb. holders or needles. .LThe ima'rked simplicity of construction offlea'chcom- :ponent part :of' the machine. and the ease of" adjustment. thereof tovass'ure the desired stitch :lo'op utension:andnniform length of stitch loops, '.to- :gether withither smoothnessz of operation: of the :maohinefand' the inherent Iunifo-rmity of. knitting :-'.action and high oulality fabriciproduced thereby, "will be sstrikingIy apparent: from" the foregoing description, taken in conjunction .'with the E iilus- "trationsinthe drawings;

:Referringinowi toili'igures l7? and? l'8;tl'iese figsures; sh'owtat-modified form of web holder; generallyi :designated- 1 68; which is :quite' similar 1 to :the web .holderi 8.1 "hereinbefore referred fto; 'GX- ceptirig that it. isiprovi'ded' with :a: substantially i'longer "nose I 144 "disposed above ithetarm 198". Thislamodified web-"holder i use 1. is also :provid'ed about "which' the i web i holder %.:-is free to rock" or F pivot in exactly the sameim anner: as hereinbefore describedL' setup of the kn'itting m is exactly the same as previously described, excepting' that-at:each3thread feed two separate threads T and T are fed into the needles 1 by each thread guide, one thread, T, being presented to the needles above the other thread T so that stood from the foregoing that:

In using the "webuhol'ders ['08, :the

a'chine and its" operation;

"there is suifiic-ient space therebetweento allow the --nose--'-If4 4; of= each web holder I98 to lie-between a thethreadsyas indicatedflin full lines in Figure I "I7,and 'alsq inifiigure 18 n downward move- *mento-f'the needles T, successively as before, each -need1e;pii1'1s-the two threads: downwardly below "the upper: ends of the associated web holders I08, formi'iig two stitch loops L -and-L" on each -needlei the' 'loopL"being longer than the loop L" IO by reason if the' fact thatthe thread .I' is drawn '--'across the upperedge-of thenose- 144; as clearly Qshown in broken lines in Figure 17, Both of the .;.=1oops1L'-'= a-nd -L' will-' be tensioned in the same manner as already described, and each web i .;holder Will -automatically maintain the -'loop tenrsion uniform and will alwaysho-ld down the fabric *snu'glyt onto' the upper end of thejcylinder' by 1 engagementof the nose Hi4 of the web holders 11 08 iover the edge-of the fabric at the top of the cylinder, excepting when the -web "holder-s are prockedbutwardly to their position shown in iibrokenxlines'iin:Figure1'7, which occurs in timed relationi-tmtheneedle movement as before. In formingthe' double stitches on each needle in L :the-manner just describedwith one-stitchloop longer than theother, the resulting fabric: will be comprisedef ab'ody of plain stitches-similar to those formedin the manner shown in Figure 1, with-=the-sur face of thefabric presenting long 3 I loops which characterizes a loop fabric. By suitably"pattern controlling the web holders 1% to Withdrawfthe nose M4 of each web holder from between thethreads Ti and T, the loop-surface or the fabric can be confined topredetermined *a-reas forming various designs. Otherwise, the "loop-surface-will be'vniform over'the entire face 1 of the knittedfabric.

lt will-beunderstood by those skilled in the art 1 that-the'machine hereinbefore described is inw 'tended' e'ssentially to-knit plain stitches or loops,

but' theredsno intention of limiting the invenftion 'thereto where suitable provision may be *made'to: produce stitchr-isv of other types. It will be' obvious" that "by feeding threads. of contrast- '1'i'ng 'co'lorstoithe needles at various feeds about *the' needle circle; striped fabrics. can be readily produced, with the stripes alternating in con- .form'ancelwith the order of the. colored threads ,.presenteidlto 'theneedles at. the diiierent feeds. 50. NVhile the specific details have been herein -.sho.wn,land .dscribedythe invention is not con- ;fined thereto, .as changes and alterations may be .made -without:departing from thespirit thereof as definedrby the appended claims, 7 :Having thus-described my invention, what'I :claimasinew and desire'to secure by Letters Pat- -ent-isz Y Y 1."Askriittingzmachine of the class described, :comprising 2a. support, a: plurality of needles imounted .zon'said' support for en'dwise" movement in upward and downward directions, aplurality 20f" web'h'olders: pivotally mounted, on said sup- :p'o'rt' with/one "web holder :between each pair of iadjlacentfineedles, andthe direction. of pivotal movement: of the web holders being crosswiseito the direction of movement of the needles, means 'ro'rieedingaithreadto successive'needles at a 'poin-ti above: the web holders, means for succes- .sive'ly. imparting; endwisemoveinent to the needles =d'raw the thread across and below theendof 2 .ialdjacent webdiolder-and througha previously i orme'd; :loop:iorr'itsfco-ntiguousj needle to form ranother stitch loop and maintain the same under tension by the web holder, means on the web holders for normally engaging the edge of the knitted fabric when the web holders are in one position of their pivotal movement to hold the fabric down on the support as it is knitted, and yieldable means for imparting pivotal movement to the web holders in timed relation to the below the ends of the web holders in the forma-:

tion of the stitch loops, said yieldable, means serving to automatically and uniformly tension the thread irrespective of th lengths of stitch loops drawn by the needles.

2. A knitting machine of theolass described, comprising an axially erect cylinder having inits outer face a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots axially extended from the upper end of the cylinder to approximately midway of the length of the cylinder, and having a circumferential groove intersecting said slots near their lower ends, the upper edge of the cylinder being correspondingly slotted radially in register with the upper ends of the axially extended slots, a web holder mounted in each slot and each web holder having a body portion disposed in one of the axially extended slots and having a projection on the body thereof disposed in the circumferential groove and constituting a fulcrum on which the web holder is adapted to rock to afford movement of the upper end of the web holder towards and away from the axis of the cylinder, and each web holder further having an arln at its upper end extending radially inwardly therefrom and lying in a corresponding radial groove in the upper end of the cylinder, a needle mounted on the cylinder between each pair of adjacent Web holders and movable vertically therebetween in an upward and downward direction, means for successively raising the needles to receive a thread above the web holders, means for successively drawing the needles downwardly to successively draw a loop across and below the upper edge of the arm of the web holder adjacent to the downwardly moving needle, means on the upper end of each web holder normally engaging the edge of the knitted fabric formed by the loops aforesaid to hold the fabric down on the upper end of the cylinder when the upper end of the Web holder is rocked inwardly on its fulcrum, and means yieldably acting upon the web holders at opposite sides of their respective fulcrums for successively imparting rocking movement to said web holders, said last named means being so timed with relation to the needles that the web holders are rocked outwardly to release their holding down engagement with the fabric as the upper ends of the needles approach the upper ends of their adiacent web holders in their downward loop-drawing movement, and the web holders are rocked inwardly prior to commencement of the raising movement of the needles.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the needles are mounted on the outer face of the cylinder between circumferentially spaced axially extended guide plates disposed on the cylinder below the web holders.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the needles are mounted on the outer face of 'the cylinder between circumferentially spaced axially extended guide plates disposed on the cylinder below the web holders, the face of the cylinder being slotted in substantial alignment with the web holder slots to receive the guide plates,,and

each adjacent pair of guide plates-defining a needle guideway therebetween lying in a radial plane intermediate the web holders.

A knitting machine of the class described, comprising a. cylinder, a circle of needles mounted on the cylinder in circumferentially spaced relation to each other and movable endwise in the performance of 'a knittin action, a plurality of web holders also mounted on the cylindenfor rocking movement in a plane transverse ,itothe endwise movement of the needles with aweb successively drawn by the needlesgsaidweb holddrawn by the respective needles.

also having means intermittently engagea-ble with the edge of the fabric formed by the stitch loops to hold down the fabric snugly on"the'cylinder as the same is knitted, and means for imparting an automatically yieldable rockingmovement to the web holders successively about the needle circle in timed relation to the loop drawing and thread engaging movements of the needles, said last named means constituting means for maintaining a uniform tension on the thread when engaged by the web holders, and'for automatically regulating the position of the web holders according to-the length of stitch loops 6. A knitting machine of the class described, comprising a support, a plurality of needles mounted on said support for endwise movement in opposite directions, a plurality of web holders pivotally mounted on said support with oneweb holder betweeneach pair of adjacent needles,

'and the direction of pivotal movement of the web, holders being crosswise to the direction of movement of the needles, means for feedinga thread to successive needles at a point above the -web holders, means for successively imparting endwise movement to the needles to draw the thread across and below the end of an adjacent web holder and through a previously formed loop -on its contiguous needle to form another stitch loop and maintain the same under tension by the web holder, means on the web holders for normally engaging the edge of the knitted fabric when the web holders are in one position of their a pivotal movement to hold the fabric down on the support as it is knitted, and spring-pressed cam means for imparting pivotal movement to web holders in timed relation to the needles, and serving to successively move the web holders to a position releasing their holding down engagement' with the fabric as the needles draw the thread across and'below the ends of the web holders in the formation of the stich loops, said cam means including a pair of cam members disposed .for engagement with the web holders and located at points on opposite sides of the pivotal axis of the web holders, and said cam members being mounted for yieldable pivotal movement about an axis generally normal to the pivotal axisof the web holders, and means for adjusting the spring pressure upon said cam members.

WILLIS A. INGALLS.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2, 529,617. September 1t, 1915. WILLIS A. INGALLS.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: In the drawings, Sheet 5, at vthe top of Figures 9 and 15 respectively, for the legends "WEB HOLDERS" "WEBHOLDERS" and "WEB HOLDERS" read --wEB HOLDERS IN--, -wEB HOLDERS OUT- and "ms HOLDERS IN-; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this nd day of November, A. D. 1%.5.

Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

